Street preacher shot in Arkansas for allegedly refusing to give up his microphone

A beloved street preacher in North Little Rock, Arkansas, shot after he refused to give up his microphone to a young man who tried to take it as he preached on Sunday, is now recovering and offered forgiveness to his attacker.

"It doesn't make no difference how bad you've been. This young boy shot me to death, and I'm going out there and I'm going to embrace him and give him $5 if he let me do it and a nice hot meal," Reverend Larry O'neal Walker told THV11 in an interview Tuesday.

Police confirmed that Rev. Walker, who has preached at the intersection of JFK Boulevard and McCain Boulevard for nearly 15 years, was shot by Latarryes Bush, 20, of North Little Rock, as he preached to passing motorists on Sunday. Walker calls the intersection the "Red Light Green Light Church."

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Subscribe

The preacher said Bush approached him and tried to take his microphone. When he refused, Walker said Bush shot him and seemed almost sorry immediately for what he did. The pastor said he was shot in the abdomen.

"He [the suspect] had a look on his face that he was sorry. Like he was sorry, he was embarrassed, he hated that he did that to me?" Walker said of Bush.

Police earlier told THV11 that Bush was taken into custody and admitted his involvement in the shooting to detectives at the North Little Rock Justice Center. He is being held at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility without bond on charges of criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated robbery, first-degree battery, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance schedule VI with purpose to deliver.

Reacting to Walker's shooting, Pastor Carlos Wallace of Word of Truth Christian Fellowship in North Little Rock told TVH11 that he was worried about what happened to the preacher because he was attacked for simply doing what God called him to do.

"I've never seen him in conflict with anybody; he's just always preaching the Word of God, you know, whether it be cold outside, he would have his white robe on preaching the good news of Jesus Christ and telling people to be saved," Wallace said.

"You would never think that someone would take it that far to shoot someone. I think that was the disturbing part when he really didn't bother anybody, you know, all he does is use his megaphone, telling people to get saved and things [of] that nature," he added.

Walker appeared unfazed by the shooting, however, telling the news outlet that the altercation was in alignment with his mission to draw people close to God.

"That's the main objective all the time. Every day, every night, every minute, every second, the objective is to win a soul for the almighty God," he said.

And Walker intends to keep preaching the Gospel.

"The almighty said He so loved the world that He gave His son. God almighty gave His Son to die because of people on the planet so that's my that's my main object[ive]," Walker said. 

Though local police say Walker's shooting is isolated for the area, several pastors in other regions of the country have been shot in various criminal attacks in recent years. R'Shunio Greer, 18, was recently charged with aggravated robbery and theft of property in connection to the February shooting of Pastor Clemmie Livingston Jr. of Zionfield Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

Last November, a street preacher in Arizona was mysteriously shot while preaching at a busy intersection before a Wednesday night service.